Club news, February 1953

We hear…

The R.A.C. issued a news-paragraph on January 1st headed ” Please Do Not Feed the Ponies ! ” We thought at first that this was an attack on premium petrol but were relieved to find that what the R.A.C. had in mind is discouraging New Forest fauna from coming out of the forest onto the roads, thus leading to accidents. We stated, on the authority of the British Salmson Owners’ Club that it was to absorb French Salmsons but in this we have unwittingly done an injustice to the original Salmson Register, which still flourishes.

Ken Downing expects to race a DB3 Aston-Martin in this year’s sports-car races and Oscar Moore will again drive his H.W.M.-Jaguar. The Magnette Register goes from strength to strength and numbers a K3 M.G. and an ex-“Musketeer” amongst members’ cars. The Gwynne Eight-engined L.G. Special has turned up again, in Lancashire. J. P. Reid has a G.N. with Anzani four-cylinder engine and non-standard radiator, registered in 1928 as YW 8982. He asks any previous owner to contact him, at Penbryn, Boes Lane, Chesham Bois, Bucks. Several daily papers had a front-page story on January 13th of how a 1933 Wolseley Hornet sold for 5s. 6d. and a 1935 Lanchester Eighteen for 4s. 6d. in Manchester— the pair for 10s. ! If this fall in used-car prices continues aged sports cars will soon be literally three-a-penny.

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Special R.A.C. Monte Carlo Rally Award

This year for the first time in the history of the Rally, the Royal Automobile Club is to present a special trophy and souvenir award, for which all competitors are eligible, irrespective of nationality.

This trophy will be for annual competition and will be awarded to the most meritorious car entered for the “Concours de Confort,” having regard to its suitability and equipment for the Rally. Also taken into account will be its placing in the actual Rally performance according to its particular category.

The very beautiful bronze statuette is the original artist’s model by Michel from which was derived the famous statue on the main buildings of Le Bourget airfield. The statuette is mounted on a rectangular black marble base and is suitably inscribed.

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The R.A.C Tourist Trophy Race, 1953

The Royal Automobile Club announces that this classic race for Sports Cars will  “come of age” on the occasion of the twenty-first race of the series to be staged on September 5th, 1953.

Arrangements have now been concluded with the Ulster Automobile Club, which will promote the race under delegated powers from the R.A.C., on the Dundrod Circuit, near Belfast.

The promoters have guaranteed ample financial support to ensure that this 1953 Tourist Trophy Race will be of interest to the leading British and Continental manufacturers and drivers, and that a first-class race worthy of the prestige of the Tourist Trophy is assured.

Details of the Race, duration, timings and spectator arrangements will be published later by the Ulster Automobile Club, when it is also hoped to announce that the 1953 Tourist Trophy Race will be included in a series of classic events to rank towards the Sports-Car Championship of the World.

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The Singer O.C.

The club completed a successful competition season with a Christmas run in December on “mystery” lines won outright by Peter Bailey (Le Mans two-seater), with his sister Margaret as navigator. Runners-up were Tony Bennett and Michael Bird.

During the year the most outstanding success was, of course, winning the 750 Club’s Six-Hour Relay Race at Silverstone.

Membership still hovers around the 200 mark in this country and overseas membership continues to increase. The branch in Belgium flourishes and there is talk of a branch in Hollywood and possibly another in Toronto. In this country the Southern Centre meets regularly at Ashton’s Hotel, Praed Street. Paddington, W.2, at 8 p.m., on the third Wednesday of the month. The Eastern Centre, with headquarters at Boston, Lincs, steadily increases its membership, but more members are needed in the Midlands, North-East, North-West, and Scotland.

The club’s annual dinner and dance will be held at the Palmerston Restaurant, Bishopsgate, E.C.2, on Friday, March 20th. Details of this and membership are obtainable from the Hon. Secretary, K. D. McDowall, 1, Halesworth Road, Lewisham, S.E.13.

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N. London E.C.C

The eighth in the series of annual dinner dances took place on January 7th at the Hendon Hall Hotel. Some 200 members and friends enjoyed themselves until 1 a.m. The awards for the year were presented by Mrs. Gregor Grant. Mrs. Peggy Monkhouse proposed “The Club,” recalling many happy occasions when she had been taking part in the club’s events, and how her late husband took a great interest in its activities. The reply from the club came from David Render, who introduced into it a reference to Jim Mayers, and the way he was performing so well in the Sport. The chairman, A. F. Rivers Fletcher, proposed “The Guests, Ladies and the Press,” and in the course of a characteristically-humorous speech, introduced John Eason Gibson, who gave the reply. The theme of his speech was that in sport, it was more  important to have fun than that success in itself should be the be-all and end-all of everything.

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New Class F records

Last October a 1-1/2-1itre Borgward driven by A. Brudes and H. Hartman broke five International Class F records, from 50 to 500 kilometres, at speeds of from 120.18 to 133.68 k.p.h.

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Welsh Counties C.C  Macleod Carey Trial

The postponed trial was held on December 28th last and fortunately the clerk of the weather was kind to the club. The day was cold but “just right for a trial,” as one competitor remarked to the shivering contents of a family saloon.

Unfortunately some of the original contestants seemed to have either (a) over-indulged at Christmas or (b) fallen by the wayside as there were a few non-starters, including the two J-type M.G.s. Nevertheless, the remainder of the field attacked six hills, situated at Pentyrch, Garth, Garth Farm, Caerphilly Mountain and Rudry. Previous trial-winner John Dyer did not seem to be able to show his previous good form and he failed a few sections; B. Parsons in a definitely vintage Morris (which sported an amazingly new registration number) did very well, while his brother, D. Parsons, in a Frazer Nash had extreme bad luck in failing at Garth Mountain, otherwise he would have won the trophy. The winner was announced at the St. Melons Golf Club, when it was seen that George Turner (Austin Special) had not lost a mark on any section.

The results were :

Macleod Carey Trophy:  1st: George Turner (Austin Special), 52 marks;  2nd: D. Parsons (Fraser Nash), 47;  3rd:  B. Parsons (Morris), 42;   4th: J. Dyer (Austin Special ) ;   5th: P. Lewis (Riley).

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Yorkshire Sports-Car Club

Tommy Wise, Mike Wilson and Gordon Mosby, of the Yorkshire S.C.C., explain the Yorkshire Rally, scheduled for February 13th/14th, starting from Harrogate at about 9 p.m. on the 13th :

“Imagine a rally with no formalities, no trick penalties, no special tests, definitely no protests and with the very minimum of rules and regulations — this should give you an idea of what we have set out to achieve in organising the Fourth Annual Yorkshire Rally.

“In past years we have burned much midnight oil in cooking up suitable special tests and similar diabolical methods of determining the winner, but in each case these have been found to be superfluous as the winner has been discovered on the road section. This year we have chosen to stick our necks right out, and are running the rally without any artificial aids to eliminate the unsuccessful.

“The route will embrace about 450 miles of what the Ministry of Transport allow to pass as main, secondary and metalled by-roads, and will be almost entirely within the three Ridings of the County of Yorkshire. Controls will be placed at reasonable distances apart, and will be at easy-to-find locations. Subject to passing through the controls in the correct order, you make your own route from point to point, observing the minimum time schedules, which will be on a non-cumulative basis: i.e. any time lost on one section has gone for ever and does not have to be made up on subsequent sections. During the rally there will be two special sections — full details of these sections will not be given until shortly before the start of the event.

“The control points will be plainly indicated on the appropriate sheets of Bartholomew’s  in. to 1 mile series of maps, and will be identified in the road book by both a geographical description and also by the type of “grid” system practised by Messrs. Bartholomew, where letters of the alphabet indicate ‘Northings’ and numerals indicate ‘Eastings.’ If you are considering competing in the event, we would advise you to procure by honest means copies of the following map sheets and give the terrain close study: No. 32, ‘Wharfedale’;  No. 33, ‘South Yorkshire and Humber ‘;  No. 35, ‘Teesdale ‘;  No. 36, ‘North Yorkshire Coast ‘; and No. 39, ‘Tyneside.’

“In conclusion, may we say that this Yorkshire Rally represents our efforts to organise a competition run by competitors for competitors, and entirely without red tape, formalities and ballyhoo.”

Entries close on February 2nd. Details from : G. P. Mosby, Staircase Farm, Bramhope, Leeds..